Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, presented awards and certificates to pupils from 47 primary schools for their successful participation in BirdLife Malta’s Dinja Wahda (One World) environmental education programme.
The excited students accepted the gold, silver and bronze awards on behalf of their schools, with more schools than ever (43) receiving the highest gold award. 32 schools were also presented with Dinja Wahda “Blue Banners”, after achieving gold Dinja Wahda awards three years in a row.
BirdLife Malta’s Education Coordinator, Desiree Falzon, said, “Dinja Wahda was first launched 20 years ago with the aim of inspiring children with a love for nature and wildlife so that as adults they would treat nature with respect in their lifetimes. Today, this aim is even more relevant as our growing population puts more pressure on Malta’s countryside. We are therefore very proud to be able to give out the first Blue Banners today as a token of schools’ sustained commitment to Dinja Wahda and to looking after nature.”
Minister Bartolo praised the work of the schools and their pupils to improve Malta’s environment and stressed the vital role that education plays in ensuring that nature and wildlife are preserved and protected for future generations, saying “It is important that we encourage the appreciation of the environment surrounding us from an early age. Like schools, the environment should be the focus of the whole community and not just individuals.”
The ceremony was attended by Dinja Wahda co-sponsors, the Bank of Valletta, and the European Commission Representation in Malta, which has supported the pilot of Dinja Wahda for secondary schools.
Martin Bugelli, Head of the European Commission Representation in Malta said, “It is everybody's duty to protect the environment we live in. This is we support education activities such as Dinja Wahda.” Mr Bugelli noted the role the EU plays in protecting the environment: “The environment is at the centre of several EU-driven initiatives and EU members agree on the standards they would have to respect in this field. In turn, they pool their resources to help each other achieve those standards, which in the end are aimed at ensuring a healthy environment to live in, whether it is air or water quality, respect for biodiversity, or promoting renewable energy – but education comes before legislation".
As well as the awards and certificates, every school was given a copy of a special Natura 2000 poster sponsored by the European Commission Representation. The poster is used as a visual aide in one of the Dinja Wahda activities that focuses on the value of Natura 2000 sites for nature.
Bank of Valletta was represented by Joyce Tabone from Media and Community Relations, who said “Bank of Valletta was represented by Joyce Tabone from Media and Community Relations. “At Bank of Valletta, we hold the green stakeholder in high regard. We have been partners on the Dinja Wahda Programme since 2007 and have helped to increase frequency of this initiative from a bi-annual to an annual thing. The value of this programme lies primarily in the way it links the green consciousness to education in a fun and practical manner. That is why it is such a pleasure for us to be here today, witnessing the manner in which this programme continues to grow year on year. We look forward to another year of initiatives prioritising the environment agenda.”
Through the Dinja Wahda programme, BirdLife Malta supports teachers to deliver lessons about nature and the environment, providing resources including an Action Guide full of activities to help students engage with nature both in the classroom and beyond the school walls.